The Previous Unknown
by TemptingEternity13
Summary: Warriors of an unknown race? Yes. Kids from our time? Yes. Can they help Shepard stop the Reapers and stay alive at the same time? Maybe... Rated M for safety.
1. The Discovery

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Only my own OC's.**

**A/N: Let's see if I can't pull something fresh…**

The Discovery

I sat in my room again, staring into space. It was a usual thing fro me. I would wake up, go to school, come home, play games and sleep, all the while thinking. I would just think about everything, work out scenarios on my head, wander around in my own mind. You could say I was the ultimate introvert. not that I cared, any way.

My parents always called me a genius and force me into nothing but advanced programs. I was only seventeen, but my level of maturity was that of an old lady. Even though they put me on this kind of pedestal, I was always abused. My parents had long since divorced and got with other people. My step dad was the very definition of evil. He'd always yell and scream or throw things around, while my mom constantly forced me to be his little servant so he wouldn't yell at her. My dad on the other hand always treated me and my brothers like stupid kids who didn't know what they were doing, but always expected us to do what we had to do without having to be told. Basically, a non-crazy Hitler. And you know the whole shtick on evil step moms, so I shouldn't have to describe her, right.

Anyway, I was sitting in my room as usual and playing a favorite game of mine; Mass Effect. The storyline was really cool and the choices you had to make effected the outcome of the galaxy. I had already played and beaten both games several times so far, but the second one was too depressing for me to play it too much. Sure, it was awesome and all, but seriously? _Dying_, getting brought back by _Cerberus two years later_, getting an 'I hate you now' speech from _Ashley_, Liara _rejecting_ you and being a complete _ass _throughout the game, etc. See? Depressing. Awesome, sure, but still…

I had just cleared Therum again and finished talking to Liara when my screen started to twitch. I stared at it, assuming it was some kind of glitch caused by the storm outside. It was a pretty bad one, too. It was practically a monsoon- thunder-storm. I looked back at the screen and noticed my Shepard was…moving? I glanced down at my hands to make sure they weren't moving, then set the controller down. Sure enough, Shepard was moving on her own. I even turned off the controller, but that affected nothing.

_Well, this is new…_ I thought, examining my console. Instantly, pain burst through my head. An impossibly loud shrill noise impacted against my brain and I clamped my hands over my ears, trying to keep the horrible noise out. It was coming from inside of my own head though, so it did nothing to ease the pain or noise. After it died down, slowly fading away and echoing through my mind, I fell to the floor.

Then, darkness overtook me.

…

"Commander, there's some creepy message coming from a planet nearby." Joker said, scanning the console before him. Shepard had come to the cockpit to ask him a few questions, but as soon as she entered the small space, her pilot spoke. She looked over his shoulder and noticed the message was a type of unknown coding.

"Put us in orbit, Joker. See if you can't decode it." she ordered, heading for the cargo bay to get ready.

"Right when we leave the lava planet too…" he muttered, shaking his head. He thought the Commander stopped too much on little errands. They were always some trap or random facility just waiting to try and kill her. He was amused by her apparent want to take in strays, too. It had to be because of her parents or something.

After a small while, Shepard was ready and waiting inside the mako for the drop. She decided to bring Ashley, Wrex, Garrus and Tali on this since Liara was still recovering from her rescue and Kaidan was busy with something. Personally, she preferred to have him far away from her anyway. She was getting really tired of his obvious flirting.

She didn't normally take so many people with her, but the planet below was unexplored and unknown. It had a breathable atmosphere, but the temperature was worse than Therum. It might as well have been a giant volcano. Other than that, the strange code they received was in a language previously unknown as well. Shepard had asked Liara if she recognized it after checking on her, but the scientist was stumped. Whatever it was, she just had to find out for herself.

"Let's go, Shepard. I'm itching for a fight." Wrex's voice rumbled from behind her. She nodded in agreement and jumped from the bay. They fell for a short time, then the jets activated, slowing their descent. As they roughly hit the surface, the mako jugged around a little.

"Shepard, do you _have_ to drive?" Ashley whined from the gunning station. Wrex and Shepard both shared a small laugh while Garrus shook his head and sighed. Tali stayed silent, but wholly agreed with the Chief.

"I like driving, Chief. It's faster." Shepard said, regaining her composure and checking the blip on the map.

"It's suicidal!" said Chief quickly countered, gripping the turrets' handles. They all laughed again and, as if accenting their response, Shepard gunned the accelerator.

…

_I looked around, seeing a place I was unfamiliar with. It was nostalgic, but I couldn't remember being there. There were stars and planets floating by, voices in the back of my mind, as if from a distant memory. I turned and saw my younger brothers, Jake, Corey, Gregori and Victor. They saw me and glided over, confusion in their expressions. I simply shook my head slightly._

"_Your blood calls to the past. Maker's chosen warriors of Fate." the voice reverberated through my mind. It sounded ages old, but there was no gender to it._

"_What do you mean?" I asked, looking around myself, but finding no sign of the origin of the voice._

"_Your souls have been lost in time. Bodies misplaced and forgotten." it continued. It sounded as if it was chanting, but had a tone of fact to it. This was only confusing me further._

"_What are you talking about?" Jake demanded, sounding completely lost._

"_Your bodies have been imprisoned. Your souls were lost and sent to Earth. Now, you will return and fulfill the destiny laid upon you by Fate." it resounded, explaining at least a little. But still, this didn't make any sense. If me and my brothers didn't belong here, then… where?_

_Before any of us could speak, I felt myself being pulled away._

…

"We're here. Stay on guard everyone." Shepard announced, standing from her seat on the mako and opening the hatch. She and Wrex were fine, but Ash looked like she was about to hurl and Garrus seemed tense. As Wrex stood, he laughed at them and followed Shepard out the mako with Tali, who looked like she was in pain.

"I'm gonna kill that Krogan." Ashley muttered, trying to keep her breakfast down. Garrus nodded then exited the vehicle, followed by the Chief. As soon as they got out, the dry, hot air assaulted them. It was definitely worse than Therum by at least twenty degrees. Why the Commander wanted to come her, Ash had no idea.

"There's nothing here…" Garrus muttered, scanning the area. Shepard knew it was here, though. She looked about, then rounded a large boulder to find a huge structure. It was in the shape of a pyramid, but it had peculiar spikes and large crystals coming out of it. Her team joined her as she slowly approached the structure. The pyramid itself seemed to be made of obsidian or something akin to it. Symbols and hieroglyphs adorned it's walls, even the spikes.

"What is this?" Wrex wondered, going to a wall and placing his hand on the surface. No one answered, but they all had the same question. Tali did the same and examined the symbols closely, trying to figure out what language it was. She had briefly come across Prothean after joining Shepard, but these were altogether different.

"Tali?" Shepard asked, running her hand over the markings.

"It's not of any known language, that's for sure." she answered, still studying the hieroglyphs.

"Prothean?" Ashley ventured, staring at the building.

"No. I would assume it's even older than that." Tali said, noticing the way the structure was slightly buried. Not even Prothean ruins were old enough to be so infused with the ground, so these must've been ages older.

"What do you mean, _older_?" Garrus inquired, frowning at it. Tali looked at him, then explained what she had noticed, leaving the others awestruck. Shepard nodded her head and started to slide her hands around as if looking for something.

"Shepard?" Wrex asked, confused at his fellow warrior's behavior.

"I'm looking for the door." she answered, a mischievous grin coming to her face. Ashley sighed, but decided to aid her Commander. She knew it was just best to indulge her in her crazy ideas sometimes.

"Door?" Wrex asked incredulously, as if such a thing didn't exist and slammed his fist against the ruin. "There's no door." he finished. Just as the words came out of his mouth though, a loud rumble emanated throughout the area. Shepard had found a small, almost invisible dent in the wall and pressed her finger to it. It had hummed and, as if responding to her, it warmed up and seemed to scan her finger. Then it started to rumble.

"See? There's always a door." Shepard smirked as the rumbling stopped and an opening formed in front of her. Wrex started grumbling but said nothing loud enough to hear. Tali stepped back in surprise, but was definitely excited.

"Huh. Well, if it's the Commander, then I guess you never know…" Garrus said absently, stepping forward a little. Ashley shook her head and smirked.

"You have no idea…" she said.

"Garrus, Wrex, guard the entrance." Shepard commanded, getting nods in return. The two aliens took up their positions and watched the others enter the enormous ruin.

Inside, the walls seemed to glow with an inner light, illuminating the cavernous space. Symbols decorated the inside as well, but they seemed to glow and pulse. It was as if a collective heartbeat coursed through the obsidian structure, an atmosphere of power, clearly tangible. The air felt as if it was charged with electricity and even tasted like it.

The three made their way to the middle of the ruin, noticing five pillar-like things. As they neared though, they saw an advanced interface. Shepard approached it, noticing it looked like a type of biometric scanner.

"Is that a good idea, Commander?" Ashley asked, glancing at the mysterious pillars. They felt strange, almost alive.

"One way to find out." she said, pressing her hand to the interface. It hummed and ran a bright red light against her palm. After only three seconds, it blinked off and continued to hum. Suddenly, the pillars, flashed brightly, briefly blinding the newcomers. Just as fast as the light came, it went as the ruin's 'pulse' quickened in a soft rise and fall.

As Shepard looked up, she saw the symbols on the floor and walls start to crawl towards the pillars, glowing and spiraling into them. They absorbed the hieroglyphs quickly and pulsed themselves, as they started to open up. All pillars seemed to almost fade in the front, disappearing to reveal five young humans.

"Keelah!" Tali gasped, seeing the youths and swaying a little. Ashley's eyes were wide and her face was pale. Shepard looked on in a mix of excitement, curiosity, dread and even horror. How were they still alive? The glowing slowly faded away as the pulse, even the light itself, infused with each of the beings in the pillars. The symbols finished their 'transfer' and the machines went quiet.

Shepard looked at the humans with awe, realizing they were… how old? Who cared, they were really old either way. But how was it that no one ever discovered them before? Was that message Joker received always transmitting?

Shaking her head a little to clear it, Shepard stepped up to the closest pillar. It contained what looked like a human female, maybe twenty years old. She had a strange set of advanced looking armor as the others did, but she couldn't recognize it. Her hair was short and messy like the Spectre's, but instead of being red, it was auburn with red in it. She looked perfectly healthy, but that wasn't possible, was it?

_Better than finding dead things._ A little voice in Shepard's mind said. She couldn't help but agree, but this whole situation had the alarms her sounding off. They may have looked human, but there was no telling what they were on the inside. She stepped closer to get a better look and noticed a chain under girl's armor. She slowly reached up and eased the chain out to see what it was. The metal of it was impossible to determine, and at the end was a medallion that bore a strange emblem on it.

"What are they? I mean, sure, they look human, but…" Ashley wondered, staring at the beings.

"I don't know, but they are very intimidating…" Tali muttered, a hint of fear in her voice. Shepard looked up at the girl's face and realized she had very sharp features. Even in a state of slumber, she looked frightening. She had hawk-like features and a serious expression that reminded Shepard of her mother. The woman was very daunting to strangers and Shepard gained that trait from her. It came in handy, but it made an unapproachable aura about her to most people.

"But you have to admit… they're easy on the eyes." Ash muttered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Shepard chuckled quietly, but said nothing. Tali just mumbled something and went to get Garrus and Wrex.

Shepard looked down at the medallion again. She felt as if she'd seen it before, but wasn't sure. Maybe Dr. T'soni would know.

"Shepard?" Wrex walked up to her side and studied the girl as well.

"I don't know, Wrex, but is it a good idea to leave them here?" she wondered, hoping the Battle Master had advice.

"They have the look of warriors, Shepard. I'd like to see what they can do." she smiled at his assessment and tucked the medallion back under the girl's armor. She reached up and looked for a way to release her from the pillar, but as if it read her thoughts, the pillar's last remaining glow diminished. The girl fell and Shepard caught her with deft speed, and gently throwing her over her shoulder.

"Let's go, the faster we get them to the Normandy, the faster we get out of here." Shepard said. The others followed suit and soon the mako was full. As the Normandy picked them up, the Spectre couldn't help but wonder who the beings were. They hadn't awakened yet and she wanted to know as fast as possible.

**A/N: Cool, huh? I tried putting a twist on it, you know, something a little new. Review if you want more!**


	2. Realizations

**Disclaimer: Isn't it obvious don't own anything except for my own OC's? **

**A/N: Wow, I can't stop writing! Well, why should I stop? Exactly!**

Realizations

Consciousness slowly returned, along with a _ton_ of information. I felt like I should've known this stuff before. Maybe when I got to my original body, it triggered my original memories too. Wait a minute. How did I know I was in my original body? Well, whatever it was, I needed to get up and find out what was going on.

"Doctor? Doctor Chakwas, she's waking up!" I've heard that voice before… now wait just a damn minute. If that really was the voice I thought it was, then I may have finally died and gone to gamer heaven. I slowly opened my eye, just a tad, thankful for once that I had long, thick eyelashes. That way, they couldn't know I was opening my eye or not. I mean, sure I got compliments and stuff for them, but they got in the way a lot.

I peeked to my side and saw- no! Liara was sitting in a chair beside my bed in the damn med-bay of the Normandy! My eyes snapped open and I sat up so quickly, I startled the poor Asari.

"What is Liara doing beside my bed?" I stammered, overcome with joy, elation and confusion. The words were out before I could stop them and I realized my mistake. I wasn't supposed to know any of them!

They looked at me as if I had grown a second head and turned green. I suppose it was understandable, but why was I here? I frantically looked around, trying to find my brothers. Luckily, they were laid out on beds next to mine.

"How is it possible that you know who I am?" Liara asked, incredulous yet excited at the same time. It was a tad scary having her look at me like she wanted to dissect me. Apparently, they had left that part out of the game…

Before I could answer though, the door swished open and I glanced up to see Shepard. She came toward me, flanked by the entire frigging ground team! They all looked really weirded out, too.

"What happened, who are you?" Shepard asked, coming straight up to me and staring in my eyes. She was certainly striking in person. Her entire demeanor was stiff. Maybe she had yet to sleep?

"Uh, hey, Shepard…" damnit! That mouth of mine was going to get me killed! They all stared at me as the Doctor and Liara were, making me extremely uncomfortable.

"How do you know who I am? We found you in a millennia old ruin!" she exclaimed, clearly taken aback. They all looked at me, never breaking eye contact.

"I… just… do?" I shrugged helplessly, feeling my stomach sinking. She didn't look convinced though and leaned in closer, just inches from my face. Her gaze bore into mine and I could see why she had such an ability to frighten people.

"And how would that come about?" she asked, searching my eyes for any sign of deception.

"I have what you would call visions… they show me future events and every possible outcome of each choice made." I wasn't _totally_ lying, but I was concerned she would inquire further. Then, Chakwas stepped forward and put her hand on the Commander's shoulder, pulling her from my face. It was a relief, but then, before I could react, Wrex stepped forward and looked me in the eye.

"You have the look of a warrior about you." he stated, his voice rumbling in my chest at his close proximity.

"Thanks?" I said, a little uncertainly. Him being a Krogan, was large. Really large. It was cool though, getting to see a real Krogan face to face. Not to mention that Krogan was Wrex, the most badass Battle master alive.

"Why are you not afraid of me?" he asked, sounding a little confused if not disappointed.

"Because you're Wrex. Though I have only seen you in my visions, I have come to respect you greatly as a Battle master. Not to mention you're my favorite Krogan." I smiled, earning a shocked expression from said Krogan and several gasps from a few people. He stepped back and left the med-bay, all the while grumbling to himself. Then, Garrus stepped up, looking down at me in amusement.

"Try me." he said it as a challenge, obviously thinking I wouldn't know him.

"Garrus. Former C-Sec officer, very skilled with a sniper rifle and hand-to-hand. Though,, I must say…" I trailed off, keeping up suspense. He leaned forward, seemingly taking the hint and I whispered in his ear, "Who won? Reach or flexibility?" I murmured. He immediately stood straight up, getting flustered.

"H-how did you-?" his voice cracked a bit and he stopped himself. He then beat a hasty retreat, leaving the med-bay. Everyone looked after him until he left, looking very confused. They looked back at me, a little intimidated now. My gaze landed on Tali as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Tali'Zorah Nar Rayya. Your father is Admiral Real'Zorah, yes?" she jumped a bit at my statement and nodded, stepping forward.

"You're a genius among your own kind, intelligent, kind, selfless, and as an added bonus, the sweetest person I've ever seen." I smiled as I talked, noting she was wringing her hands together furiously.

"W-well, a Quarian has to…" she stammered, trying to block my praise. I shook my head, making her stop.

"Tali, you may be a Quarian, but that doesn't mean you don't have unique qualities. I've seen a few arrogant Quarians too, you know. I don't see them trying to help people like you do." she didn't say anything, but nodded and quickly left.

"Do you know me?" Liara asked excitedly, beaming up at me. I smiled and nodded.

"Doctor Liara T'soni, Prothean expert. Your mother is Matriarch Benezia, you prefer solitude versus crowds, you may only be 106, but you can certainly take care of yourself and you are, by far, my favorite Asari in the galaxy." as I spoke, she smiled, nodded and blushed. There was definitely a blush going on. I was actually pretty cute.

"Oh, I'm not that wonderful." she smiled, looking around and avoiding my gaze. I frowned and huffed, getting her attention once more.

"Nonsense!" I announced, putting mock anger in my voice. She jumped at my outburst and looked at me, then relaxed, seeing my wide grin. Ashley stepped forward, flanked by Kaidan and looked at me expectantly.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams." I said, smirking at her. Her eyes widened slightly, but she stayed expressionless. "Grand daughter of the first human to surrender to an alien species. It's ridiculous really… the arrogant fools who held pride above life while he and his men did all they possibly could to survive. He was a hero. He refused to sacrifice his men just to save face for humanity." at my words, her eyes teared up a little and she squeezed my shoulder in gratitude. Then she left, leaving Kaidan.

"Kaidan, the biotic. Remember that time back at camp when you defended a girl from that nasty Turian?" I asked, getting a smirk in response.

"Yeah, I do. You don't have to go into detail." he said, patting me on the shoulder and leaving.

"Alright then, you know my crewmates. But do you know me?" Shepard stepped forward, a smirk prominent on her face.

"Commander Shepard, first Human Spectre. I'd have to go with…" I scrutinized her body language, scratching my cheekbone. She seemed to be in good humor and carried herself much lighter than a colonist or sole survivor would have. She was Paragon, so ruthless was out the window. She didn't look like a former street gang kid either…

"Yes?" she urged, leaning on my bed.

"Your mom is Captain Hannah Shepard. You saved Elysium too. I don't feel like recounting everything having to do with Saren, but I'll say that you've got a lot ahead of you. If you have any questions, I'll answer them to the best of my ability at any time." I said, going out on a limb.

"Either you're psychic or you really do have these visions." she smiled. A wave of relief washed over me as I thanked God for my awesome skills at reading people.

"I do have some questions though, if you feel up to answering them?" she wondered.

"Like I said; at any time." I said, giving her a smirk. She returned it and shook her head in amusement.

"Alright. Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Avaera. My brothers are William, though everyone calls him Corey, Jake, Gregori and Victor." I said, pointing to each one respectively. "At least, that's what our names are when translated in to your language." I said, making sure to cover the old Earth names thing. I didn't feel like coming up with new names off of my sleeve, so it was best to just come up with some weird reason.

"How can you speak our language so fluently, let alone understand it?" Liara asked, sounding eager to learn more.

"I seem to have knowledge of it from the information stored up here." I said, tapping my head. They nodded, accepting the answer as another vision thing.

"How did you get imprisoned in that ruin? It's apparent that your not Human…" Dr. Chakwas' words cut through me like a knife. I wasn't Human anymore. I never was, really. I 'remembered' that my own species called themselves the Reagas'Kar. But how was it that I knew that? I would have some questions for that damn voice the next time I saw it. If I ever did…

"My people were the Reagas'Kar…" I trailed off, getting a headache. Wait, the start… that voice said we were going to 'return'. But what did it mean?

"Cool name. Why do you look Human, though? Well, other than your eyes…" Shepard said, catching my attention.

"My eyes?" I asked, giving her a quizzical look.

"Yeah, they're a really vivid crimson." she said, staring at me. I sighed and reminded myself I'd have to get used to being scrutinized.

"You know, from my perspective, you Humans look like the Reagas'Kar." I smiled, trying to cheer myself up. Well, at least the Reagas'Kar lived for a long time. It averaged twelve hundred years, anyway. Wait, maybe that was a bad thing.

"I suppose so. How is that possible?" Liara asked, seemingly looking me up and down like a new research toy. I was already starting to think she was going to hound on me indefinitely.

"It's possible Humans evolved from a closely related organism originally and adapted to similar conditions." I ventured. It did make sense, but such minute differences like eye color wasn't much of a leap. Maybe my insides were whacked up or something. Maybe it would be cool to be an alien. Even if me and my brothers were the last of our kind…

"Yes, that makes sense." Liara said thoughtfully.

"So why were you imprisoned?" Shepard repeated, noticing I was lost in thought.

"Well, I… I don't remember." I said, trying to think back. I probably had yet to recover my original memories.

"In time. You did just wake up, Miss Avaera." Dr. Chakwas said.

"Please, go ahead and drop the Miss. It's too formal for me." I said, giving her a small smile. She hesitated slightly, then nodded.

"Alright then." she said. After exchanging glances with Shepard, she returned to her desk and started to work. She certainly was grandmotherly in real life.

"So, Avaera. I have a proposition for you." Shepard said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah?" I asked, getting a nod in return.

"Do you and your brothers want to help me defeat the Reapers?" she asked. Well, that was a surprise, but also not really. Weird.

"Why would you want us?" I inquired, trying to find the logical reason she'd want us along.

"You have advanced armor far beyond what we have now, all of you certainly look like you can handle yourselves and I really don't want to hand you over to anyone just for you to get dissected in some research lab." Shepard responded, ticking them off in her mind.

"And you may hold extremely valuable information that could help us." you have no idea, Liara…

"Cool. Sounds like fun." I said, shaking the Commander's hand. She smiled, then looked over to my brothers.

"Glad to have you aboard." Shepard said, stressing the 'you'.

"I can tell you of my brothers if you wish…" I offered, sensing she was concerned about them.

"That would be great." she said, moving to face me.

"Well, I'm the oldest. Corey there is a year behind me, being the sensitive one. He'll hide it and it's hard to see sometimes, but his feelings get hurt easily by those close to him. He's really smart, but he acts like a real idiot sometimes." I said, pointing at my brother on the bed beside me. I moved to gesture to Jake on the next bad down.

"Jake is something of a two-face like me. Well, actually, we're all like that. Anyway, he's the hot head. Smart but immature, he loves talking about killing things. When he's not in a good mood though, he's either quiet or overly grouchy." I finished, moving down to Gregori.

"Gregori is smart and I guess you could say elegant. He's my advisor in some ways, but he can be clingy at times. He loves to follow me around and such, always insisting that I need someone to spur the suitors that harass me." I explained, earning odd looks from the two. I used the fancy talk, but really, back at home, all of us had several stalkers each. It was terrible, really.

"And last is Victor, He's Gregori's twin. He's mischievous at times, but he's very understanding and kind. He does the same with me as Gregori does, but it usually causes them to fight and bicker over who's my 'favorite'. He's insightful too, very observant." I finished, taking a breath. Shepard and Liara had listened intently, memorizing each detail.

"Hm. They all seem like good people. But how old are all of you?" Shepard asked, clearly interested. I wracked my brain to remember our original lives, trying to recall at least our ages. A light went off in my head and I quickly added the ages to the ones of our Earth years.

"In Human years, I'm roughly a hundred and ten." I said, proud at my age. It was weird, being older than seventeen, but hey. I wasn't complaining. Of course, my declaration brought complete shock to the two. Their jaws just about hit the floor.

"But you don't look a day over twenty!" Shepard said, completely taken aback.

"Then that means you're older than I am!" Liara gasped, her eyes wide.

"I guess… anyway, Corey is a year behind me, Jake two, then the twins are three from me." I wasn't sure if is was a good time to actually wake them up, but… it would be best if I woke them up after Shepard and Liara left. I didn't want anyone having a panic attack.

"What is the average Reagas'Kar lifetime?" Liara questioned, leaning forward.

"About twelve hundred years…" I answered, starting to feel strained from recalling so much at once.

"Amazing!" she declared, grinning full out.

"And here I thought I was the old one." Shepard muttered, smiling to herself. I pushed her slightly, but couldn't help but laugh.

"What abilities do your people have?" Liara asked, eager for more. I tried to think of something, but my head just started to hurt worse the more thought.

"I can't quite remember." I admitted, unable to keep the dejection from my voice.

"It's fine. I'd rather be surprised anyway." Shepard said. It brought my mood up and as I stopped trying to remember, my headache started to fade.

"Wah- Shepard?" I turned to see Corey and the others waking up and staring at the three of us in disbelief. I smiled, but couldn't help the feeling of anxiety that settled in my gut.

"You guys, before you say something stupid, try to remember what happened." at my firm tone and request, they snapped their mouths shut and tried to remember. I could almost see the cogs working in their minds. As they each seemed to realize what we were and such, they looked at themselves and each other, seemingly looking for flaws. As they finally looked at each other's eyes, they looked surprised, if not shell-shocked. Their eyes were all like mine, and now that I saw, Shepard was right in saying they were a vivid crimson. It didn't look mechanical like TIM's though. They were much deeper and natural looking.

"Cool…" Jake mumbled. I then took the time to recount to them what went down and made sure to tell it in a way that got them in the loop, but to where it sounded like I was just summarizing to throw Shepard and Liara. I didn't want them knowing what we were just yet. Though, it wasn't really black and whit for me either. I wasn't sure if my Human years were even the real me. Well, I'd just have to figure that out later.

"Alright, now that everyone is up to speed, how about we get you all some food?" at Shepard's invitation, our stomachs growled in unison, startling the poor Doctor.

"Is it too late to say we're starving?" Victor joked, getting a laugh out of all of us.

We exited the med-bay quickly and noticed it was empty save for Wrex and Ashley. They were having a heated argument over guns or something, I didn't pay much attention. We all got food and sat down with the Commander and Liara at the table next to the two gun freaks.

"Well, look who's here." Ashley said, apparently finished with Wrex. She grinned at me and turned to see everyone.

"The strange Humans." Wrex grumbled, also turning to face the group.

"Actually…" Gregori started.

"We're not." Victor finished.

"Not Human, anyway." Corey stated, digging into his food.

"We're Reagas'Kar." Jake said, joining Corey in eating. Wrex and Ashley looked at each other, then back at all of us and laughed. As we all just looked at them, their laughter died down and they realized we weren't kidding.

"What's a Reagas'Kar?" Wrex demanded, eying me. I shrugged, occupying myself with eating. It was okay, but I had definitely had better MRE's.

"I guess that explains the freaky eyes." Ashley laughed, slapping her knee in the process.

"Gee, thanks." Victor mumbled. We all ate in silence for a few minutes until Liara broke it.

"It is amazing that you are older than I am." Liara gushed. She was sitting across from me, so she automatically said so to me. I could tell it would start all these weird rumors across the ship, but I couldn't help getting excited. I was on the Normandy for Christ's sake!

"What?" the Chief sputtered, staring at us.

"Avaera is a hundred and ten! Her brothers are only a few years from her." Liara explained, making me blush. It was hard not to when someone was gossiping about you right in front of you!

"Who's Avaera?" Ashley asked, totally confused.

"You really know how to make a girl feel special, Ashley." I muttered dejectedly, taking a bite of food. She looked at me for a moment before she seemed to realize what she said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't…" she hastily said, trying to apologize. I just waved her off to show I didn't mind. After we all finished the meal, Shepard said it was getting late, so she showed us to the crews quarters.

"No one's using this room since they have the pods, so…" As my brothers hastily chose beds, I noticed she looked exhausted. Just as I went up to her to ask if something was wrong, she half collapsed. Luckily, I caught her and threw her arm over my shoulder. I was thankful we were the same height to, so she wasn't getting dragged. I was tired though, and I didn't have much energy left.

Jake came over and took Shepard's other arm. He looked as drained as I was, but together, we were able to get the Commander to her quarters. Jake left me to take her into her room, saying he didn't want to intrude upon her space.

"But why?" I asked, shifting Shepard's weight to hold her more easily.

"I'm not a girl, so I don't want to make Shepard think I'm a pervert or something if I go in her room!" he said in a 'duh!' tone of voice. He really said the strangest things sometimes. I sighed, noticing he was already gone and turned back to the door. It opened and I carried her through as she awoke with a small start.

"I really need to stop pulling those all niters…" Shepard mumbled. I chuckled as I led her to her bed and set her down.

"It's okay, Shepard. Just get some rest, you deserve it." I said, pulling off her boots and helping her into her pajamas. This was reminding me of the times my mom would do this for me. The realization that I'd never go back hit me like a ton of bricks. Sure, my life sucked, but at least my mom still did what she could to raise us.

"Ava…?" Shepard's tired voice trailed off, not finishing my name. It only served to further pull me down. That was the nickname my dad called me by when he was actually in a good mood.

I hadn't even noticed tears were coming from my eyes, until Shepard brushed them away. She looked concerned, but I said nothing as I got her into bed.

"Ava?" she tried again. I had to let go of that life. It wasn't even mine to begin with. I smiled down at her as best I could shook my head slowly.

"Get some rest." I whispered, not trusting my voice enough to speak normally. Luckily, she was too tired to argue as she slipped into a deep slumber. I left the room and made a beeline for our room.

Once there, I saw that everyone was sitting on their beds, looking at the floor. They looked a little flushed as well, so I went to my bed and sat down.

"Did we ever have a real life?" Corey wondered, the atmosphere in the room one of sorrow.

"I don't know which was ours anymore…" Gregori muttered.

"We have to move on…" Jake said, failing to sound convinced himself.

"Either way…" Victor added, looking solemn.

"We have this now." I finished, looking to each of them. They returned my gaze and nodded, the air in the room no longer so oppressive.

"Thanks, sis." Gregori said, coming over and giving me a hug goodnight.

"Anytime, little bro." I smiled, ruffling his hair a little. He smiled and went to bed as we all bid each other goodnight.

**A/N: Was that better? I made it longer, but if you have advice or anything, either review or send me a message. **


	3. Distractions

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.**

**A/N: Here's chapter three! Things may be a little slow now, but I'll have it up to action soon!**

Distractions

"Ava, wake up!" Corey's hushed whisper was a little panicked, but urgent at the same time. I opened my eyes and yawned quietly.

"What?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I want to talk to you." he answered, kneeling by my bed. I just stared at him blankly for a moment before looking at the holographic clock on the desk. It was 5:30!

"Why now?" I hissed. I didn't like getting up in the morning or even waking up. It was probably because I was an insomniac, so sleep was a precious thing to me.

"Because I can't sleep anymore and you're the only one who doesn't yell at me." he tried to reason. I slowly sat up and stretched.

"Whatever. Come on." I said, leading the way out of the room. We went to the mess hall and I made a cup of coffee before sitting down. I gave Corey a cup then took a sip myself.

"What's wrong?" I asked, watching his thoughtful expression.

"Well, I-" he cut himself off, running a hand through his short hair.

"What?" I asked again, getting a little impatient.

"What are we supposed to do here? I mean, sure, help Shepard, but after that, then what?" he questioned, looking at me.

"After, as in after the Reapers are dealt with?" I inquired.

"Yeah. With our lifespan, how are we supposed to settle down and find a mate? We'd just outlive them." he added, sounding upset. I patted his hand to comfort him.

"We'll deal with that once the time comes." I answered gently, getting him sigh.

"That' also if we even survive this…" he muttered.

"I thought I was the pessimist!" I chuckled, him soon joining me. I had to agree with him though. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to live after the end. There would be so much pain and sorrow mixed in with our victory. But then, that was even if we won in the first place.

"I don't know, I just… all of us want to find someone, you know?" he wondered, looking at me, almost desperately.

"Yeah, I know." I said, getting up.

"Let's go back to bed. I feel a little better now." he said. At that, we made our way back to our room.

…

I got up from bed again only five minutes after going back. What also sucked about being an insomniac was that once I woke up, there was no going back to sleep. That coffee probably didn't help, either. I left the room silently and made my way to the CIC upstairs.

I stood over the map of the galaxy and looked through the various systems and planets, trying to remember each of the side missions. I needed to think, but just lying in bed wasn't going to help me at all. At least when I concentrated on something I could ponder. There wasn't much I could do in the first place, but after finding out that I wasn't even Human got my perspective to alter a little. Whatever was going on, I'd have to figure out how to deal with it.

Shepard had said we were already headed to the Citadel. It was exciting and frightening at the same time, actually. What if people got wind of my brothers and I? What would they want to do with us? It wouldn't be the first time I'd get kidnapped. It was a long story, but basically, I had psychotic perverts for neighbors.

"Assholes…" I muttered, thinking back to the ridiculous event. I tried not to because it made me think of my friends. I'd never see them again. It was odd how so many people, including me, wanted to go to the ME universe. But once we get here, the reality of it slaps you in the face. Though, it _was_ cool. And I had my brothers with me too. It would have to be enough. It was my job to look after the buggers in the first place, but even more so now.

I ran all of the SI stories I'd read through my mind. Some of them were ridiculous, or funny, or just depressing. But, all in all, I loved each one. I wrote my own back on Earth too, but I never would have come up with this storyline.

_At least it's not a repeat._ I thought to myself, smirking a tad. I looked at the clock on the map and noticed I'd been sitting there for an hour. No one was awake yet, but it was probably going to change soon. I switched the map back to it's default position of the galaxy and left. I didn't really know where I was going, but it was better than standing around. After a minute or so, I found myself back at our room.

"Wake up you guys, it's time to reset your body clocks, 'cause this is our new wake up time." I called, going to each one and getting them up. It was funny how all of my brothers preferred to sleep in just their boxers, too. I felt like I was in some locker room or something.

"Now?" Victor mumbled, burying himself under the covers. I went up to him, pulled back the covers and tickled him in the sides. He started laughing and struggled against my grasp. That got the rest of the boys up and dressing, that was for sure.

"Yes, now." I smiled, leaving him out of breath. He threw his pillow at me in a bout of revenge, but I was able to dodge it, leaving it to fly onward. Unfortunately, it kept going, smacking Jake in the face. We all tried to contain our snickers, but at the pillow fell from his face and we saw his pissed off expression, I couldn't help but laugh with everyone else.

"Seriously?" he asked, getting us to laugh harder. My abdomen started to hurt with the strain, but it was too funny! Suddenly, Jake stepped forward, grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder. His own laughter joined all of ours now, enjoying having me struggle. He then proceeded to parade around the room, saying he's brought down the tyrant! They all laughed as I finally grabbed Jake's waist and pulled, sending both of us to the ground.

"Tyrant, who?" I said triumphantly, standing up. Now that we were all awake, I left them to finish getting dressed and went to the mess hall again. There really wasn't much to do on the ship, now that I thought about it. It was a little more spacious than it was in the game, but other than a few other rooms, it wasn't all that different.

"Ava!" I turned at my name and saw Shepard rushing up to me. So, it looks like I'll have to get use to that. No doubt everyone was going to get wind of it and start calling me Ava. I wasn't sure if I was happy or not, but it at least gave me a familiar felling. Like entering you house after a long day at work or something.

"Yes Commander?" I asked, noticing her expression of concern. I was hoping she'd forget about the day before…

"Just call me Shepard, okay? I'm not big on formalities." she said, catching up to me.

"Okay. What do you need, Shepard?" I asked. The both of us went to the mess hall and grabbed some food.

"Well, I…" she started. We sat down at a table and started to eat. At first, it looked like she was going to say something, then thought better of it. I was almost praying she wouldn't say anything about my tears. I hadn't even realized, until she wiped them away. I had never shown weakness to anyone but my brothers before, and even that was rare.

"Hm?" I mumbled, taking a bit of food.

"Thanks for helping me last night. I hadn't slept in a few days." she finally said. She started to eat too and people started to come and get breakfast. My brothers came in too and got food.

"Anytime, Shepard." I smiled, relaxing a little. Good thing she didn't say anything about that.

"Do me a favor?" she asked. I looked at her questioningly, letting her continue. "Don't tell anyone." she finished, grinning.

"Our secret." I answered. She seemed to settle down a little at that. I was just thinking how awesome Paragon Shepard was when my brothers came over and sat at our table.

"I wanna know a secret." Jake said, grinning mischievously. I nudged him in the side and shook my head.

"Then it wouldn't be a secret, huh?" I said, returning to my food. He huffed, but said nothing and dug in along with everyone else. I could see why Shepard wanted to keep her fatigue from everyone, but then, I wouldn't be able to cover her forever. She probably wasn't going to put up too much of a barrier from me, seeing as how I've already seen her weakness. Either way, I just hoped she wouldn't pass out on the battlefield because of it.

"After breakfast, we're meeting in the briefing room." Shepard announced. I finished my food quickly and stood with Gregori. We always were the fast eaters in the family. Shepard finished soon after and the three of us went ahead to the briefing room.

It wasn't long before everyone started to arrive. The three of us had just been talking about random things and making jabs at each other for fun. Shepard was really cool in real life. I felt like she was a sister already. Once everyone was assembled, I saw the whole ground team and the rest of my brothers. It was a tad cramped, but no one was complaining. Well, that was probably just because my family and I decided to stand in between the chairs of the ground team. Shepard had me stand beside her so I could explain everything to everyone at once.

"Alright, let's start." I said. Once I had everyone's attention, I went on to explain what had transpired since my awakening. It wasn't much of a surprise that the ground team was shocked at some of the information. Liara and Shepard would jump in with a comment every once in a while, making it easier for me to describe things. After about a half an hour, I had everything down.

"How old are your people?" Tali asked.

"We don't know. The history goes back as far as you can imagine, really." Corey answered, scratching his chin.

"What was your species like?" Garrus questioned.

"We were like… Asari and…" Gregori started, furrowing his brows in thought.

"And Krogan…" Victor finished, rubbing his head.

"With a dash of… Salarian." Corey added, raising an eyebrow. It was an odd combination, but it fit together well. That was usually why we had two faces, actually. It would depend on our mood.

"Why that combo?" Garrus asked, looking confused.

"Well, our people loved to fight, but we rarely killed one another. We sorted disputes with logic, but if the situation was extremely personal, we would settle them with a battle. Though, even if that was the case, we had natural violent tendencies." Jake managed, trying to fight the headache.

"And so we would learn to control that violence through something like meditation." Corey said.

"As for the Salarian part, we were what you call brainiacs. Obviously, we aren't as hyper as they are." I finished. The headache was coming back, but I was able to get the explanation over with. It was evident we shouldn't think on it too hard, but I was curious about the Reagas'Kar.

"What specialties did your people have naturally?" Kaidan asked.

"Um… I'm not sure…" I said, holding my head. This was getting bad, fast. I tried to pretend I was okay, but I just ended up leaning against Shepard's shoulder slightly. Luckily, she was the only one who noticed and she didn't say anything quite yet.

"Then what were you?" Ashley asked.

"Like what our jobs were?" I inquired, getting a nod in return.

"We… were…" I started, trying to remember.

"Athrak…" Victor continued, gritting his teeth subtly.

"Drayergar…" Jake finished, gripping the railing behind him tightly.

"What's an Athrak'Drayergar?" Liara inquired, eying us intently.

"I don't quite remember…" Corey mumbled, rubbing the back of his head and stopping the recalling. I noticed the others gave in too, but I continued. I wanted to know. I had to know what we were. Why we were the only ones left. I could feel it in the back of my mind.

"Ava…?" Shepard asked. I hadn't noticed I was leaning on her so much. My headache became much more than a full blown migraine and I tried to calm it down.

"I'm fine." I said, pulling back and gripping the railing behind me for support. I stopped thinking, trying to get it to calm down. After all, I could think more about it later.

"You should go see the Doctor." I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture, putting on a smirk.

"Really, it's nothing. Anyway, we need to focus on the plan." I said, leaning on the railing and crossing my arms. There was a small silence as I toughed it out. The pain was starting to recede, but it was making me a little dizzy.

"Well, we're going to dock with the Citadel in a few minutes or so. Everyone, get yourselves ready. I'll be taking the new arrivals with me to see the Council. Dismissed." Shepard ordered. It took me a minute to figure out she meant me and my brothers when she said new arrivals.

"Come on sis, we need to get our armor on." Gregori said, taking my wrist and leading me back to our room. I had a feeling Shepard would bring it up later, but I just needed to concentrate on staying upright for now. It wouldn't do me any good to worry over what would happen.

…

After we helped each other in donning our armor, I finally got a good look at it. It wasn't of any design I recognized, and it looked like the helmets were retractable. The paint was garnet red and the trim was white. I couldn't help but admire the work on the Reagas'Kar. It made me wonder how far along they were with their tech and what happened to them. There weren't any previous ruins that held anything about them, save for where Shepard and them found us.

"Sis?" Victor came up and looked askance at me.

"Just thinking. Come on, we've docked already." we all went to the airlock and met up with the rest of the team.

"Let's go." Shepard said, leading us out of the ship.

…

After we finally calmed down from being on the Citadel for the first time in actuality, Shepard took us to the tower. The rest of the ground team had split up and gone to do whatever. Once we finally got to the top floor, she took us to the bridge at the back where she became a Spectre in the first place. The councilor were already there, and , for the first time I was glad not to be Human. That meant we weren't under Udina's thumb. Meaning he wasn't there.

"You were right in saying they look very similar to Humans, Commander." Retoma said, staring at us very closely.

"Their eyes are very prominent too. Tell me, are those eyes of yours natural?" Velarn asked. I noticed he wasn't in his regular grouch mode today. Maybe that had to do with the fact that we weren't Human. And the fact that we were new aliens… man, that just sounds so weird!

"Yes, Councilor." I answered, keeping a neutral tone. I wasn't going to be the subservient one here. Even if we were the last of our kind, I wanted to make a good impression. It may make thing easier later on.

"We understand you are all more than a century old. Who is the leader of your group?" Velarn continued, curiosity slipping into his tone. Without saying anything, my brothers pushed me forward. Apparently, they didn't want to deal with the Councilors. It also made sense since I was the only one who slaved over my 360 for months on end, finding every choice and repercussion.

"What is your name miss?" Tevos inquired. Their being nice was starting to weird me out. I was used to them hating our guts.

"Avaera." I said simply.

"Do you have a last name…?" Retoma asked, sounding a little hesitant.

"Zytiro." I was able to come up with the last name quickly enough, but I had a feeling my brothers would annoy me over it. At least it went well with our names.

"Very well. We have called this meeting here today to discuss the meeting of a new species." Tevos announced. She certainly looked like a nice person, but she was definitely a politician first. At least she tried to explain why they were assholes in the second game…

"Yes, how are we to know your are truly not Humans? You look the same to me…" Velarn's comment just pissed me off. I don't know why I was so angry, but I felt it immediately come to the surface. I barely even registered the shocked expressions on the Councilor's faces, I was too angry. Sure, we looked the same, but I fucking _knew_ I was a damned alien! Who was he to question it?

I felt Shepard take my wrist, catching my attention. I looked down at myself and noticed shining purple electricity ark around my body. I could feel it course through me and energize my muscles. It must've been triggered by my anger. I took a breath and calmed down, feeling the power recede and relax.

"Thanks." I whispered. She nodded in return and I looked up at the Councilors. They looked like their parents were just killed in front of them or something. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying something snarky.

"I am sorry if I have frightened you, Councilors. I simply showed one of the reasons we are not Human." I said, struggling to keep from laughing at them. They calmed down after a moment and cleared their throats.

"I must apologize Ms. Zytiro." Velarn said, bowing his head slightly. Well, that's new…

"I understand your initial skeptically. There's no need to apologize." I answered evenly. Well, I preferred an apology, but it was best to be gracious. I could almost feel Shepard puffing up behind me. It was no doubt annoying her that they were actually being nice to me when they practically slapped her in the face each time they talked to her. I was a little annoyed for her.

"Are you the last of your kind?" Retoma asked, a little attentively. I wasn't exactly happy about being the last.

"As far as I know, yes." I said, sighing slightly. There was a small silence.

"Shepard's report spoke of your visions. Can you explain?" Tevos questioned.

"It's another ability of our people, Councilor Tevos." her eyes widened, but she said nothing as I continued, "We see future events through someone else's eyes. Though, it is not one set timeline. We see various realities and outcomes of countless choices that were made. Each is very different from the last." I explained, hoping they'd get it. Obviously, I was mostly lying, but they didn't need to know all of the confusing details.

"I see. That is most intriguing." Retoma added, rubbing his chin. I was starting to get annoyed. I just wanted to leave already.

"I must ask, why do you feel so inclined to assist Shepard in her struggle?" Tevos asked. I felt anger and hate as I thought of the Reapers. There was no doubt in my mind that my people were killed by them, but…

"Because my people were destroyed by the Reapers." I stated grimly, feeling the energy stir inside of me. They said nothing as I turned and left. I knew it was rude, but I didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone. I heard them call the meeting to a close, saying we would resume at a later date.

I rushed to the elevator and pressed the button to go down. I didn't want anyone with me right now. I didn't want comfort or pity. Pity made me angry.

…

"Where the hell did she go?" Shepard mumbled to herself as they walked along the Presidium. It had been about an hour since Avaera disappeared, and it was worrying to Shepard that they had yet to find her.

"She wouldn't go far." Corey said, furrowing his brow in thought.

"Yeah, she's still on the Presidium, definitely." Gregori added, smiling a little.

"Why did she leave like that?" Shepard asked, scanning the area. It had confused her when she did that. And even before she left, she somehow had visible electricity all around her. It was scary, yet beautiful. Shepard had felt as if Avaera was starting to lose control, so she took a chance and gripped her wrist. As if the flow sensed her, it moved as her hand got near, then coursed over her own hand. It didn't hurt, either, it just felt like a spike of energy went through her.

"You heard what she said…" Jake mumbled. "She's also a little complicated." he elaborated.

"I'd guess she left so she wouldn't hurt anyone." Gregori ventured, sighing. It made sense to Shepard, but still…

"Yeah, she's really protective of people. She's often put herself in harm's way to shield others." Victor stated, sounding worried.

"I think I might know where she went…" Corey said, looking hopeful. Shepard just hoped he was right.

**A/N: I know, you guys want more action, right? Don't worry, it's coming soon;)**


	4. Reflection

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Only my OCs…**

**A/N: This is the beginning of the romance stuff, so see if you can guess who goes with who!**

Reflection

"Ancient Sounds…" I muttered, looking at the sign above the door. I walked in to find a whole assortment of countless instruments. It was a sight to behold. As I walked among the stands, I noticed some of them didn't even look like instruments. There were ones from various times and species, even some were Batarian.

"Why won't you? Did I do something wrong?" I looked over and noticed two Asari. One was sitting, the other standing over her. The standing one looked worried and confused, but her tone was probably more firm than she wanted it to be.

"No, I just…" the sitting one was on the verge of tears. It made me feel like I should do something, but what?

"Is this because I'm an Asari?" the standing one demanded. I noticed she was teary too, but she hid it well. The other Asari didn't notice because she was staring at the floor. She didn't say anything. After a moment, the standing Asari stormed out of the shop, silently crying. The one that was sitting started to cry too as her tears finally spilled over. This was awkward…

After a moment, I couldn't help but approach her slowly, my sensitivity to crying people winning out. She didn't notice as I got to her, so I gently rested my hand on her shoulder. She jumped and looked up at me, but relaxed as I gave her a warm smile. I looked around for something and found it a few feet away. I quickly retrieved the violin and went to stand by the Asari silently.

"What are you…?" she trailed off, looking desperately confused. I knelt down next to her and looked her in the eye.

"I'm a friend. I think I can help, but you'll have to trust me." I said it in earnest, trying to seem non-intimidating. She hesitated as she searched my gaze, but nodded after a few moments.

"Okay." she whispered, wiping away her tears. She reminded me of myself a bit. When I was a kid, I would cry on my own and hide myself from others. After a while, I got tired of emotion, so I just locked it away as best I could. Sometimes though, it would slip through in stressful times.

"Close your eyes." I requested. She first took my hand, then did as I asked. "Now, think of the one you love. Imagine being with her, in her arms. Remember everything you love about her." I said, speaking slowly, soothingly. It was making me a little embarrassed, but I once did the same thing with one of my friends back on Earth. I was hoping it would work this time too.

She slowly smiled as I spoke, keeping her eyes closed. I slowly stood up and placed her hands together. She sighed quietly, joy and sadness mixed together. I knew Asari looked down upon 'pure' relationships, so this Asari was most likely trying to protect her significant other from those disdainful stares. In the end, it would only hurt them both.

I set the violin on my shoulder and got comfortable. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I started to play a soft melody, trying to soothe her. I was always trying to help people. It was like Shepard, just without the epic adventure. Either way, I wanted to help this Asari. She looked a little surprised when I started to play, but kept her eyes closed and concentrated on her love. I really wasn't one for mushy stuff either, and it actually made me nauseous. Yet even so, I was always the one forced to be the matchmaker for my friends. They'd always ask me advice and bring people to see me, so I eventually got a feel for the melodrama.

I played for what felt like eternity, but was only about seven minutes. I know, it was a long melody, but I kept playing to make her feel better. As I finished, I felt she was no longer stressed. The atmosphere was peaceful once again. I ended it on a soft note and let it fade away. I opened my eyes and took the violin off of my shoulder, seeing she was smiling as she looked up at me.

"That was beautiful. I feel much better now." she said, standing up and giving me a hug. I couldn't help the blush that engulfed my cheeks at the praise, seeing as how I wasn't used to it.

"I hope you'll tell her why you were protecting her. I know you don't want her to get hurt, but you need each other." I smiled. It was a good thing I read a book once that had the same situation. In the end, the guy died… I really hated that book.

"How did you…" she trailed off, seemingly surprised.

"Because I saw this once before. One of them died from the heartache." I said, smiling at her sadly. She got teary again as she gave me another hug.

"Thank you. I will tell her right away." she said, getting excited. Just as she said that though, the Asari from earlier came in, looking depressed. I'd bet money that she was outside the whole time, trying to figure out if she should come back or not.

"Kerri, I…" she mumbled, looking down. As soon as Kerri saw the Asari, she ran up to her and hugged her as tight as she could. I couldn't stop the smile that crept onto my face as the other Asari looked utterly confused, elated and worried all at once.

I set the violin down and made my way out as Kerri explained everything to the other, apparently named Cora. It was nice to give someone some measure of happiness. It was good to get away from the drama too, since I wasn't quite used to the whole love thing. I got to the door and stepped out without looking back. I didn't want to intrude anymore than I already had, so I thought it best to leave.

"Wait!" someone called. I turned around to see the two Asari maidens rushing up to me. I wondered if Kerri was going to charge me or something, since she held the violin I played in her grasp.

"Yes?" I asked, a little confused. Both looked extremely happy, that was for sure. Kerri held the violin up and handed it to me.

"This is to show my gratitude. I would've been lost if it wasn't for you." Kerri said. I blushed again, completely taken aback.

"I can't take this…" I muttered helplessly. It was nice, but I didn't want to take free handouts just because I gave some advice.

"Please, I wouldn't feel right if you don't take it. It's thanks to you that I have my soulmate back." Cora smiled, holding Kerri's hand.

"Well, I… Alright, then. I'll take good care of it." I said, giving up. I could see that they wouldn't be dissuaded, so I may as well have.

"Take care, Kiruey." they both said, giving me hugs. Was that an Asari word or something? I'd have to ask Liara about that later. They went back inside the shop then and left me with my thoughts. They certainly look happy…

"Kiruey?" I mumbled, turning to walk down the way.

…

"Excuse me, have you seen a crimson eyed girl recently?" Shepard asked. They had gone through at least six music stores so far with no one having seen her. She was starting to get worried. Maybe she got kidnapped somehow.

"Crimson eyes?" the Asari asked seeming to think a little. They were in a store by the name of Ancient Sounds. When the group entered, they found two Asari at the back.

"Yes." Shepard said, catching her breath. She'd been running, too.

"You just missed her. She left five minutes ago." She answered, "Is she alright?" she asked, sounding concerned. Shepard wasn't sure why they'd worry about Avaera, but it didn't concern her yet.

"I hope so." the Spectre said, already leaving.

They walked on some more after leaving the store. After a few minutes, Shepard caught some odd noise coming from an alley to their right. She stopped the group and they all listened intently, trying to figure out what it was.

"That's Ava!" Gregori exclaimed, rushing into the alleyway. The rest of the group followed soon after. Shepard wondered how they could know whether or not it was their sister just from listening to her play. She shook her head and followed them in.

At the end of the alleyway was a large, clean balcony that overlooked the whole Citadel. It shone in the artificial sunlight, along with the Reagas'Kar armor. Shepard looked to the end of the balcony where the sad melody originated. Indeed, it really was Avaera. Shepard was surprised at the skill with which she played the violin, but even more so at how much it affected her. That melody held such powerful emotion that it choked her up a little. It was obvious this was how Avaera conveyed her feelings.

As the melody ended, Avaera turned around to see the group. She looked a little surprised, but mostly just tired. Shepard could see the small glint of despair in her companion's eyes.

"Hey, guys." she greeted, sounding calm. Her brothers each said hello and left it at that. It seemed they had a deep bond. It was a little surprising to Shepard that they weren't ragging on their sister for walking off like that.

…

After I told them about what happened after I left, we all decided to head back to the ship. On the way, Shepard asked me what the name of that melody was. I told her I just improvised from and old Beethoven song. It conveyed his own despair at losing his one love. She didn't ask how I knew the song though. Maybe she just figured it was because of my visions.

Once we were onboard, we learned the ground team was already back from their own errands. After a few minutes, the Normandy took off from the Citadel. The Commander said we were going to Noveria next, too, so The ETA was two days. I made my way to the med-bay storage room. As I walked, Jake told me he was going to talk to Shepard and the rest of the guys were just going to hang around. Corey went to engineering and the twins were going to harass Joker.

"Liara?" I asked, poking my head into the doorway. She looked up from her work and stood to greet me. I walked in and took the time to notice she was looking at me like a new microscope. It was just a bit unsettling.

"Do you require something?" she wondered.

"Yeah, I need a meaning." at her confused look, I continued, "What does Kiruey mean?" I asked. Her eyes widened a little, but she thought about it before answering.

"It's a very rare name these days. For an Asari to call someone by that name, they show a deep, very personal gratitude. It is literally translated as 'my guardian angel'." she explained, sounding curious. It was pretty cool how she knew that so well.

"I guess that explains it then… thanks Liara." I said, turning to go. She reached out and gripped my wrist gently though, keeping me from leaving. This had me feeling I would get a bunch of questions.

"If I may ask… where did you hear that?" she inquired. I turned back to her and nodded. I told her everything that happened starting from leaving the ship that morning. I felt that she'd want to know what happened anyway, so I went into detail. I even told her my thoughts and feelings throughout the events. She was quiet the whole time unless she had a question. It was kind of cute the way her eyes sparkled with eagerness. Wait, did I just think that?

"Amazing. May I hear you play the violin?" Liara asked. She looked so excited, I couldn't really say no and disappoint her.

"I guess… What do you want me to play?" I asked, getting the instrument ready. She thought about it for a moment, looking like her life depended on it.

"I'd like to listen to your melody from the Asari's store." she said, looking a little shy. I nodded and set the violin on my shoulder, taking a breath and closing my eyes. I heard Liara sit down and I started to play.

…**(Corey's POV)**

I entered the engineering room to find Tali working on something. The core was certainly large and shiny. I couldn't help but stare at it as I approached the station. I didn't even notice Tali had turned to me until she actually said something.

"You're Corey, right?" she said, getting my attention. I bowed my head a little in greeting, remembering it was a sign of respect in my sister's eyes. She'd always tell us to treat others the way we wanted to be treated. Not that she had to tell me, of course…

"The one and only." I responded. She giggled a little at my tone. She had such a cute laugh… wait, did I just…? Maybe being an alien made my mind go whack.

"What do you need from the engineering station today?" Tali asked, amusement in her voice. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, but I squashed it down. There wasn't any need for me to start getting buddy buddy with anyone. Even if that someone was an adorable Quarian. What the…? I'd need to talk to Ava later.

"Well, I was hoping to hang with you." I proposed. In the end, I wanted to learn more about this stuff. The technicalities of the machines and how things worked. Unfortunately, she gasped at me and started to wring her hands together. What did I say?

"Hang? Isn't that a Human expression used to describe a form of execution?" she asked, incredulous. Oh, right…

"I meant I'd like to accompany you and, you know, talk or something…" I explained, trying to get her to not think I was suicidal. She calmed down, but she still looked nervous.

"Well, if that's what you meant…" she trailed off, looking around. She really wasn't used to attention, huh?

"Yep. Why don't you tell me about your people?" I proposed, evidently surprising her. I guess she didn't get many requests like that very often. After a moment or two, we launched into conversation of the Quarian people.

…**(Jake's POV)**

I found Shepard at the CIC, overlooking the map. She looked like she was concentrating really hard, too. I saw she was looking at a planet that was emitting some distress signal. I got a little closer and recognized it as the one where Admiral Kohoku's men were killed. The Thresher nest was right beside the beacon, if I remembered correctly.

"Shepard? You look like you could use some help." I said, walking up to stand beside of her. She looked at me, then shrugged.

"Know anything about what we'll find down there?" she asked, gesturing to the planet below.

"Yeah. Kohoku's men are down there." I said, not really going into detail. I didn't want to have Ava beat me up later because I told the Commander something bad. The two already acted like sisters, it was weird. When I helped Ava take Shepard to her quarters, she didn't seem bothered at all. That was weird because Ava definitely wasn't a touchy person. Nor was Shepard, but she was passed out when we helped her.

"What's their status?" she inquired, looking a little surprised. I only shook my head as if to say I didn't know, but she, unfortunately, saw through it. This was one of those times I wished I was as good at lying as Ava was.

"I know you know." she stated, eying me. I sighed and put my hands up in surrender.

"They're dead, Shepard. They were drawn to that beacon just like we were. Only problem is, it's set next to a Thresher Maw's nest. It was a trap." as I spoke, she grew angry. It was obvious she had hoped for something less gruesome.

"Damn it. I hadn't wanted to think they'd be dead…" she said, leaning on the railing.

"Sorry. We need to get down there and disable the beacon though." I said, looking down at the hologram.

"We can't have more people die because of it." she agreed, crossing her arms.

"My sister and I can come with you. We know how to take out a Thresher without any trouble." I announced confidently. Really, Ava and I always came up with the various weak points of different species. It wasn't only the Mass Effect creatures we discussed either. We talked about the Thresher Maws earlier in the day, working a new strategy in.

"What do you mean?" she asked, taken aback a bit. I smiled at her and crossed my own arms.

"We can kill one without back up. We'll be able to at least distract it enough for you to take out the beacon." I explained. She just looked at me like I was crazy.

"How would you do that?" she muttered, taking in my grin.

"It's a surprise, Shepard, but if you want to get to that beacon without getting killed, you'll need our…skills." I paused before I said skills, but she just sighed and looked down at the planet.

"Fine. But you'll have to take someone else with you." she conceded.

"I know, I'm taking Ava." I said, already leaving before she could answer.

…**(The twins)**

"Give me back my hat!" Joker yelled, turning in his chair to see Gregori and Victor. They had stolen his hat a few minutes ago and they had yet to give it back. They loved to tease people, but Gregori was the one with the big brain out of the two. Both were smart, but Gregori was a genius like their older sister. He was also the tame one of the two.

"Say please." Victor sing-songed, holding it behind his back.

"Give it back or I'll shoot you!" Joker responded, reaching for the twin.

"That's not nice, Joker." Gregori said, mock scolding the pilot.

"I don't care!" he shouted, completely annoyed.

"Say please or we'll call Ava." Both said in unison, grinning at his expression.

"What, you can't fight me?" Joker challenged, smirking as if he won something. The twins looked at each other, then back down at him.

"She might not break your bones…" they said. It was obvious they were insinuating that they would break his bones themselves if they were challenged. The startled pilot opened his mouth, then closed it as if trying to speak, but failing.

"It's okay Joker, she's usually nice." Gregori said with a smile. Victor snickered as he put the hat back on Joker's head, then both departed, leaving a thoroughly harassed pilot behind.

…**(Avaera's POV)**

As the melody ended, I sighed and put the violin down, opening my eyes. It was actually a variation of a lullaby I used to listen to. It was very old back on Earth, having originated from Scotland in the sixteenth century. It was rarely known, but it had a soothing effect to it.

"That truly was beautiful!" Liara gushed, blushing. I could feel my cheeks heat up a little, but I ignored it.

"I tried to put some feeling in it…" I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Yes, I could feel your emotion in the music! I do hope…" she trailed off, getting my attention. I was afraid I did something wrong, but when I saw her small smile, I couldn't help but blush a little more.

"Yes?" I urged, wanting to make her feel comfortable enough to say what she had to.

"I do hope you will play once more…" she suggested, looking down at the floor. I felt relief wash over me from her statement. I felt pretty good, and it wouldn't be any trouble. I liked to play it anyway.

"It would be my pleasure." I said, and bowed to her, making her giggle. I started to play a song reminiscent of the theme from The Last of the Mohicans. It was a good movie even if a few good people died. A minute or two in, I heard the door open, but continued to play. My eyes were closed too, so I wasn't going to see who it was without breaking my concentration.

As it drew to a close, I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. I liked to play for people and help them feel better with the music. It was also a way for me to convey my emotions in a way I'd never be able to do with words. I could release what was pent up inside, even if only a little.

"Wow. I never would've pegged you as a violinist." I turned to see Ashley standing in the doorway, smirking. At least she didn't hate me for being an alien. Of course, it would be hard to think of me as one, seeing as how I looked like a Human. I noticed Jake standing behind her, seemingly excited.

"Yeah, I know. Need something?" I asked, looking between the two visitors.

"We're going down in the mako soon. Get ready." Ashley said, then left. Well that was to the point.

"Ava, guess what I got Shepard to let us do?" he said, practically jumping up and down. I looked at him for a moment before shrugging.

"What?" I asked, not bothering to guess. He leaned forward and whispered the news in my ear. I felt my stomach turn to lead and the blood rush from my face. Thresher Maw? I remembered our discussion that morning, but it was only hypothetical! Before I could respond, he bound out of the room, no doubt unable to wait. In our plan, he was the one with the easy part!

"What is wrong?" Liara came up and looked concernedly at me. I looked at her slowly, trying to formulate the words.

"My brother's going to get me eaten… by a Thresher Maw."

**A/N: Now we're getting to the fun parts! Who doesn't like a Thresher scene? ;) Review or I'll stop writing! It would be much easier…**


	5. Testing Abilities

**Disclaimer: I own only my OCs…**

**A/N: You know… two reviews is kind of pathetic, you guys… because of this, I'm losing morale pretty quick… Anyway, let's get to the story, everyone.**

Testing Abilities

"My brother's going to get me eaten… by a Thresher Maw." I whined quietly, slumping a little. She looked shocked then confused as she continued to gaze at me.

"What do you mean, eaten?" she asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you want to come and find out?" I offered, starting for the door. She followed wordlessly behind as we went to the cargo bay. Shepard was already there with Jake and Ashley, getting the mako ready. She said Liara could come, but she'd have to stick with the main team. It being Shepard and Ashley. Jake and I would be the decoys, much to everyone's chagrin. It was nice to know they at least cared if we'd die.

When Wrex overheard the plan, he stomped up to me and just stared. I wasn't sure if he was doing that for a reason or not, but it made me feel naked. His scrutinizing got Shepard to step in and ask what was up, but the warlord just grunted as if satisfied and walked off. It was a little anticlimactic.

"Drop in 3…2..." Shepard counted down, prepping the jets. The cargo bay doors slid open and Shepard edged the mako to the end of the bay. Suddenly, she gunned the accelerator, throwing us out of the ship. We plummeted towards the ground at such high speeds, I felt my stomach climbing to my throat and I shook around in my seat haphazardly. It was definitely fun, but it was kind of ruined at Jake's maniacal laughter.

We jerked in our seats as the jets powered on and slowed our descent. As the mako hit the ground, we juggled around a bit. I felt pressure release from my arm that I didn't realize was there before and looked down to see Liara's hand had had a death grip on my forearm while we fell. I looked at her and smiled reassuringly as she took a deep breath to calm down. Jake saw the whole thing apparently and stared at me with such a lecherous grin, I blushed.

As Shepard drove us around, it became an apparent fact that she was one of the _worst_ drivers out there. She hit pretty much every bump and boulder along the road! I could see Ashley trying to keep her breakfast down and Jake gripping the bars of the seat. Liara had returned to grabbing my forearm as if to make sure we wouldn't fall out of our seats or something. It was humorous to see the faces she made at each jolt.

After what seemed like forever, we arrived at our location. Shepard stopped the vehicle at a cliff overlooking the flat area. She turned to my brother and I and had a look of concern on her face.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. Jake and I stood in the mako and he opened the hatch, climbing out. I turned to her and nodded, then joined Jake outside, closing the hatch behind me. We walked to the back of the roof of the mako and braced ourselves. I thought my helmet would come in handy, and, as I thought that, it clicked and opened, encircling my head. I saw it turn on and activate, the HUD fading so I couldn't see it. It was as if the helmet wasn't even there, but as I looked to the bottom right, I saw bars indicating energy level and such. I wondered briefly if it had read my mind somehow.

"Ready?" Shepard asked over our comm. She didn't sound too happy from what I could hear. I could understand that since she told me earlier in the day that even though she wasn't at Akuze, she lost a good friend who was there. I could tell she hated Thresher Maws, but I didn't want her to get herself hurt because she tried to get revenge. I just had to hope this plan wouldn't kill me.

"Ready." I answered, the mako then started to slowly back up, ascending the hill behind it to get higher ground. Jake immediately wrapped his arm around my waist, hoisting me up. He put his other arm under my thighs, so he was holding me like a Gatling gun. Instantly, Shepard revved the engine, throwing us off the cliff, into the air. Just as we sailed into the air, the Thresher Maw erupted from the surface, poised to strike.

"Good luck." Jake whispered, turning in a circle to gain momentum. As he turned the second time, he launched me toward the giant creature. I forced my mind to clear as I flew toward it, then let out a roar as the monster engulfed me in it's maw.

…

Liara watched in horror as her closest friend on the Normandy jumped into the giant creature's mouth. She couldn't help but feel a great loss, thinking she was truly just eaten. The mako was completely silent as they saw it unfold. Avaera had released a monstrous roar in defiance just before she was consumed. Tears threatened her eyes as she struggled to keep calm. She saw Jake launch himself into the air and pull out an AR, immediately firing upon the giant creature.

They landed by the beacon and dead soldiers after what seemed like an eternity later. They got out of the vehicle quickly and headed for the beacon. Shepard immediately destroyed it with her own AR, holding the trigger down as she screamed at it. Liara could see the rage and sorrow in her eyes as she stopped firing only when her weapon overheated.

Ashley was silent, but the anger on her face showed what words couldn't. Liara forced herself to look at the Maw that Jake was engaged with. He had gotten it a safe distance away and continued to tear at it and draw it's attention. How could Avaera do this? She got herself killed for nothing! Liara's hands shook as she tried to control herself, but her biotics reacted to her anger and flared to life.

…

"This thing is _disgusting_!" I growled, struggling to concentrate. I had luckily been swallowed whole, so the damn Thresher had yet to kill me. I mean sure, it already ate me, but that was the plan. But that was the easy part. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the smell and forced myself to reach for it. The energy that had stirred inside of me earlier in the day.

As if summoned, the electricity once again flowed in and throughout my body. It was already taxing on me, but I had to succeed! I couldn't let this thing kill anymore people! I gritted my teeth and forced the level of power higher, focusing on the inside flesh.

…

Suddenly, the Thresher Maw paused. Liara looked at it, confused. It stopped moving and simply sat motionless. She noticed Shepard and Ashley look at the monster ready to burn it alive, but stopped as they saw it was still.

Instantly, it started bucking and screeching, the horrible noise piercing their ears. They were even in pain from the horrible scream this far away! Liara focused on the creature and caught sight of a bulge in it's throat. It slowly expanded as bluish purple streaks of thunder burst from it's mouth. It roared as the electricity flowed and attacked it's entire body, making it jerk and wave around.

As the powerful energy scorched the body from the inside, Liara could see the bulge was larger now. It grew even more as the thunder streaked out of it's mouth and shot out of various holes, now being formed from the immense attack. With a final roar, the monster exploded, sending bits and chunks of it flying everywhere.

She looked into the sky and saw an oddly shaped form falling from the air. She looked closer and realized it was Avaera! Without a second thought, all three of them surged forward, sprinting full out towards where she'd hit the ground. She could only hope her friend wasn't dead already. It must've been her power that dealt such damage to the Thresher Maw!

"Ava!" Shepard called, running even faster than her two companions. She skidded to a halt as she reached Avaera and pulled her up, resting her head on her shoulder. Liara and Ashley caught up and looked over the girl, checking for wounds. Slowly, the helmet retracted back into the armor, revealing Avaera's face to be uninjured, but scrunched in pain. Shepard hastily checked for a pulse. They watched in bated breath, waiting for the news. Shepard let out a breath and smiled, showing the girl was still alive. Liara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and relaxed.

"Shepard..?" her head snapped up as she heard Avaera's haggard voice. She was awake now, but barely. Liara saw she was exhausted and more than likely very weak. Shepard tried to look at her sternly, breaking into a scowl.

"Never again! I don't care if it's 100% guaranteed to work! Don't do this again!" she demanded, sounding pissed. It was natural for Shepard to be protective of her crewmates, but when they pull a stunt like this, it worried her immensely. Avaera had been a great new friend to her and over the few days they knew each other, Shepard became close with the small family. She felt comfortable with them, which was odd, considering it took her a while to do that with anyone she met.

"Sorry… I just… didn't want… you all… to get… hurt." she managed, trying to keep from passing out. Her face displayed great pain, but happiness was there too. Shepard couldn't help thinking she was too much like her. Jake, who had passed out from the shock wave, woke up and came over. He knelt down by his sister and looked relieved to see she was alive.

"Sorry for throwing you into a Thresher, sis." he tried humor, getting a small laugh from her. Her breath was shallow and forced, Liara saw. She would have to get back to the Normandy quickly and to the med-bay.

"Ash, start up the mako and get it over here. Liara, call the Normandy for pickup." Shepard commanded, her mind working double time. They all set out to do the tasks given and it wasn't long before the mako pulled up and opened it's back door.

Shepard carried Avaera into the mako and set her down. After a minute or so, the Normandy picked them up. Shepard and Liara took the weakened girl to the med-bay quickly while Jake and Ashley set to telling the rest of the brothers what had happened.

…

I awoke in the med-bay again, feeling drained from the last escapade. I felt a lot better, but still low on energy. I sat up slowly, testing my body. It was stiff and sore but it wasn't too bad. It was a good thing I had a high tolerance of pain, that was for sure. Dr. Chakwas noticed I was awake and came to stand by my bed, crossing her arms.

"You had us worried there, you know." she said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Really?" I asked, injecting disbelief into my tone. She just frowned and shook her head in amusement.

"Yes, really. I've been getting constant visitors insisting on seeing you." she responded. Yeah, she definitely sounded aggravated. I was a little surprised that I wasn't affected worse with the amount of energy I drew on.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"About sixteen hours." she answered, looking me over. That would make it about seven in the morning, so everyone was probably at breakfast. Chakwas cleared me and said to take it easy for a few days. Just as I was about to get up, Liara came out of her room. She noticed me immediately and rushed over, worry evident on her features.

"Avaera, are you alright?" she asked, looking for wounds. I laughed, but winced at the soreness, making her fuss even more.

"I'm fine, Liara, really. Just a little drained is all." I said, getting her to stop scrutinizing me.

"Are you sure?" she asked, sounding unconvinced. I only nodded as I went to stand. Unfortunately, the second my feet touched the floor my knees buckled and I fell into Liara. Thankfully she caught me and helped me to the door. As we entered the mess hall, everyone looked up and rushed over to greet me.

"Why couldn't you just stick to drawing it's attention?" Gregori demanded, obviously upset at my stunt.

"It was too boring." I answered, managing a smile.

"You have to be more careful, sis!" Victor announced. I ruffled his hair, but said nothing.

"You should've taken me along, Ava." Corey said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Next time, little brother." I answered. He huffed and went to sit back down at the tables with Tali who said it was good to have me back. Garrus stared at me a little, but finally said it was a good thing I didn't get killed. He went back to his food and Gregori and Victor went back to their own table with Corey and Tali.

"Interesting method, Avaera. I want to see it myself next time." Wrex said. I nodded and he lumbered back to his table and pile of food. Ashley and Kaidan came up then, looking a little concerned. Kaidan just said to take it easy then went to get his food. Ashley stepped forward and clasped my shoulder.

"Worry me like that again and see what happens." she said, sounding perfectly serious.

"Maybe." I said, mock pouting. Her eyes narrowed and she smirked, stepping forward and jabbing me in the ribs. I groaned in pain which got her to stop, but it lingered. I saw Liara give Ashley an exasperated look which got her to shrug apologetically. It was good to see she wasn't so bad with aliens as she was in the game, but I could tell she still didn't like Garrus.

"I'll get you two some food." she said, already walking to the synthesizers. Liara helped me to an empty table and sat down next to me.

"I'm happy you're okay. I was very grieved when I thought you were gone…" Liara muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear. I looked over at her and smiled as I gave her a partial hug. It hurt with the strain, but I felt she needed a hug.

"Now, why you'd think I'd just die and leave my favorite Asari behind, I'll never know, but I promise I won't." I said. It took her a minute to realize I was talking about her, and her enormous blush was worth it. Ashley came over then, Shepard in tow. Both had two trays of food, and, as they sat down, Ashley set hers in front of her and Shepard while said Spectre set hers in front of me an Liara.

"If you ever do that again, I'll personally tear you a new one." Shepard stated, looking me in the eye. I had no doubt she'd do just that, too.

"I'll do my best." I said, earning a glare from her and Ashley.

"Are you feeling well?" Liara asked, changing the subject before anyone could answer my comment.

"I'm fine. Man, I wish you guys could've seen it though! Those things are _gross_ on the inside!" I laughed, trying to ignore the soreness. I could see they were trying to fight the smirks threatening to show on their faces. I figured we'd all be laughing about it soon though.

"Yeah? What was it like?" Shepard asked. I smiled and brought up my Omni-tool that Shepard bought me back at the Citadel. I grinned at their confused expressions and stood up as best I could without falling over, but the table was the only thing supporting me. I looked around briefly and saw Wrex was finished eating and stood so I called him over before he could get away. Everyone was even more confused as he walked over.

"What do you want?" the battle master asked, frowning.

"Wrex, could you help me get to the Comm room? I can't really walk on my own…" I requested, holding on to the table. He stepped forward and grabbed me, throwing me over his shoulder. As he walked toward the stairs, I called back to Shepard to bring _everyone_.

…

About a half an hour later, the entire crew was assembled in the Comm. Room. It was a little crowded, but with my direction and Wrex's threatening, we were able to get them to sit down and get comfortable. I even got the twins to put the ship on autopilot and kidnap Joker to bring him to the room. Of course, he got one of the chairs at the end while Shepard took the other end one. Once everyone was settled, I got their attention and called Tali over to hook my Omni-tool to the interface.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I requested for Shepard to bring you all here." I said, making sure everyone could hear. I got nods in return and continued, "Well, I thought to fiddle around with my Omni-tool that the Commander so graciously gave me. Oddly enough, I found a program that could interface with my armor and record audio/video."

"What's that got to do with this?" a crewman called.

"I'm glad you asked. Now, as you all know, a few of us went down to investigate a distress beacon yesterday. I'm sure you all heard some tall tales, yes?" I got more nods that told me they had some trouble wrapping their heads around what had happened. "Well, my brother Jake and I thought to test that recording program on the mission. And, just this morning, the Commander asked me what the mission was like to me." I paused, looking to everyone in the room.

"Let's watch it!" Joker said, deciding to stop sulking from being away from his post. There were a lot of murmurs in agreement, so I nodded to Tali to activate it. The video started at where we stopped at the cliff. Everyone watched in silence as I climbed out of the vehicle after Jake and got ready. The audio was working to, so they heard what we were saying also.

As the mako launched off of the cliff and my brother threw me at the Thresher Maw, there were a few gasps from the crowd. They all heard my yell as I was consumed by the large creature and fell down it's throat a ways. I looked at everyone's shocked and horrified faces. The inside of the creature was purplish in color and slimy everywhere. There was a small ripple of laughter from the crew when I said it was disgusting. The muscles of the throat squeezed me all around, pushing me down. I could feel the anticipation in the air as I concentrated as hard as I could and built up a continuous flow of energy, heightening the draw level. They saw the power arcing everywhere inside of the monster, scorching the flesh and puncturing the body from the inside. As it exploded, there was a cheer, but as they watched me fall, it died down. I was out at the time, so I hadn't remembered falling, but it could've been a contributor to my sore body. The program stopped as the helmet retracted into my armor.

There was a pressing silence as the video ended. I looked around at everyone as the ordeal sunk in. Wrex was still holding me upright, but he chuckled in amusement. I smirked at him as everyone burst out in whoops and hollers, clapping loudly. Joker got so excited, I thought he'd get up and dance if he could. Once it died down, I held up my index finger and called Jake over. He gave me his Omni-tool, then went to sit back down as Tali switched his with mine.

"Who wants to see what it looked like on the outside?" I asked, getting more whoops in agreement. Tali started it up and the video went off from where mine did in the mako. It was in his point of view, so seeing myself was a little odd. I hadn't noticed he put his helmet up, but he had been holding me so I couldn't see. It showed him throwing me off and jumping off of the mako right after, drawing the Thresher away from the vehicle. Everyone looked excited and tense as they watched him dodging the acid and attacks of the creature. He did a back flip to evade another spout of acid just as the Maw stopped. Jake's HUD tilted up as he looked on the creature. The energy suddenly arched out it's mouth and it went into an epic hissy fit as it threw itself around in agony. There were a bunch of whoa!'s from the crowd as it roared and screeched, the sound making Jake clamp his hands over his ears. Again, the creature exploded, sending Jake flying into a boulder and knocking him out. The video continued though and since he was propped up by the rock, it was in the perfect angle to capture my descent from the sky. I saw myself actually bounce on the ground before settling in the dirt. It looked painful, actually. It ended as Jake's helmet retracted when he started to approach me.

It was cool, seeing what happened from two perspectives. Everyone seemed amazed or just excited, having seen what happened, relatively first hand. Wrex even looked a little surprised when my thunder spouted from it's maw. Ashley, Liara and Shepard looked on with a mix of relief and awe, along with everyone else.

"And that, my friends is what it's like to get eaten by a Thresher Maw." I got some laughter with the bad joke as Tali turned off the screen and turned the lights back on. From what I could see of her body language, she was either afraid of me or appalled. Maybe both…

"Why did you record it?" Kaidan asked, his eyes wide.

"Because I felt like it." I said simply. There was another ripple of laughter at the simplicity of the answer as I gave everyone a cheesy grin.

…

I stood in Liara's room again, playing the violin and staring at the floor. She had told me she wanted to hear me play it while she worked, so I obliged. I wanted to practice more anyway, since it helped me concentrate. I made sure not to play it loudly, so it was like a soft background music. A few minutes after I'd finished the first song that came to my mind, Liara told me it was helping her to relax and work easier, so I began another one.

It had been two weeks since I woke up in the med-bay after the Thresher mission. Every time we were about to head to Noveria, some new mission got in the way. Everyone was getting along well though, and my brothers were currently being tested on what they were or weren't good at. I'd already gotten Shepard to test me the day before, so I was off for the moment. I was uncannily skilled at tech and hacking, but it wasn't really my big strong point.

It was Corey that had tech skills that could rival a Quarian, but with the way he was learning, I wouldn't be surprised if he surpassed it eventually. Jake was a typical soldier class, but he could repair most any piece of armor or weapon that came his way if he had to. Gregori and Victor were a little mysterious as to what their strong point was, but they had yet to find themselves, I thought. All in all, it was odd how we seemed to already know what things were or how to fix them even when we hadn't come across the stuff before. Maybe we have some kind of advanced muscle memory from when we were back at our… original home.

I couldn't help but wonder who we used to be. Who our real parents were or if we had any good friends from that time. I was only able to recall facts about the Reagas'Kar generally. There weren't any personal memories or anything that had to do with my actual life back then. It was disheartening to think I'd never remember no matter how much I tried. My brothers were also getting zero luck, but none of us were very fond of the migraines that greeted us whenever we did try, so we only did it occasionally.

It was hard for me to accept this as a reality, too. No matter what I saw or felt, I couldn't bring myself to believe I was from some unknown alien race millions of years extinct. I knew it was true, but every time I saw myself in the mirror, I was reminded of my life from Earth. The life I always hated, the one I never wanted, all of my old friends, even the people I used to despise. I couldn't really bring myself to miss it, but what really hit me was knowing it was all a lie. My brothers and I were just lost souls, floating around the cosmos until we occupied our old bodies. Our Human bodies.

Even if we had had a crappy life, it wasn't always terrible. I remembered a time my friends and I went to the mall with my brothers and saw movies that had just come out. They were all a bunch of ridiculous goofballs, but they always did their best to look out for me. And I'd never get the chance to say goodbye…

"Avaera?" Liara's voice cut through my thoughts and I looked up after ending whatever I was just playing. I hadn't even paid attention to the song. She stood and came over, all the while looking worried. It seemed to me that I may have done something while I was spacing that caught her attention. I didn't trust my voice enough to say anything, so I just put the violin down as she got me to sit on the edge of her cot.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting down beside me. When I didn't answer, she took my chin and turned my face so I had to look at her. She wiped away tears I hadn't realized were there and searched my gaze, waiting patiently.

… **(Liara)**

"Can- can I tell you…?" Avaera's voice broke as she tried to speak. Her expression was so completely lost and desperate, she didn't know what to do, and It pulled on Liara's heart more than she would have expected. What caught Liara's attention in the first place though, was Avaera's melody. Before they had sat down, her song was so full of sorrow, she could feel her pain in the music.

"Tell me what?" Liara asked softly, hoping to alleviate at least some of her pain. At her question though, she saw Avaera almost second guessing herself. It was as if she was suffering greatly, but was afraid to say anything. Liara couldn't help but worry over her friend's burden. After all, she was the only one who seemed to truly accept her for who she was.

"I-… it- it's nothing." Avaera gave her such a broken smile, she had to force herself not to embrace her. She looked as if she was at the end of her rope. They had been almost constant companions since they met and had become very close friends. But if Avaera was having so much trouble trying to tell her something, it had to be weighing down on her heavily.

"It is clearly not nothing, Ava!" Avaera's eyes widened in surprise at the use of her nickname. Liara hadn't called her that before, but this was a special case. Her small outburst had also caused Avaera to flinch noticeably, as a look of guilt covered her features for a moment.

"It's okay, Li…" Avaera's nickname for the Asari had only been used once before when she tried to comfort her after talking of Liara's mother. She knew Avaera wanted to tell her, but was almost afraid to. It was a sure sign something was amiss. Before she could say anything more, Avaera stood and stepped to the door, opening it.

"Avaera, keeping it locked away will not help me to know what's wrong!" Liara tried to reason, staying on the bed with the hope she could get through to her. When she finished though, Avaera slumped a little and turned her face in the general direction of Liara, refusing to look at her directly.

"Maybe it's better that way…" her torn words made Liara's heart stutter, and at that, Avaera left.

**A/N: I know, it's all melodramatic and a little depressing, but we need friction of some kind, somewhere, right? Oh, and the sad melody I was talking about when Liara thought Avaera was in pain, was "Sad Romance" (Youtube it). Review!**


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